King of Scars
King of Scars is the first book in the Nikolai Duology by Leigh Bardugo, set in the Grishaverse and focused on the character Nikolai Lantsov. It was released on January 29, 2019 by Imprint. Summary Face your demons... or feed them. Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army. Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.Leigh Bardugo previews her next book, King of Scars – Entertainment Weekly, September 26, 2017 Known Information * The first four chapters of the book, along with the new Grishaverse map illustrated by Sveta Dorocheva, have been released as a preview on the Grishaverse website.[http://grishaverse.com/books/nikolai-duology/ King of Scars sampler], chapters 1-3 * King of Scars will be told in multiple-POV third-person narration, similarly to the Six of Crows duology.Leigh Bardugo's Instagram page. ** Nikolai Lantsov will be a POV character.[http://grishaverse.com/uploads/documents/KoS_Chap4.pdf King of Scars preview, Chapter 4] *** He will have a love interest in King of Scars. ** Zoya Nazyalensky will be a POV character.Leigh Bardugo's Twitter, Zoya confirmation – May 28, 2018 ** Nina Zenik will be a POV character.Leigh Bardugo's Instagram, Nina confirmation – May 5, 2018 *** She will have a potential female love interest in King of Scars,Leigh Bardugo's BookCon interview with Epic Reads – June 2, 2018 most likely a Fjerdan named Hanne. *Several characters from previous Grishaverse books will return in King of Scars. **Genya Safin, David Kostyk, Tamar Kir-Bataar and Tolya Yul-Bataar will be integral characters.Leigh Bardugo Returns to Ravka in Her New Series – Goodreads, January 2, 2019 **Nadia and Adrik Zhabin from the Shadow and Bone trilogy, as well as Leoni, a character briefly mentioned in the Six of Crows duology, will appear. **While Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa will not appear in the book, they will be mentioned by other characters.Leigh Bardugo's Twitter, Inej mentioned – May 28, 2018Leigh Bardugo's Twitter, Kaz mentioned – May 28, 2018 **Alina Starkov does not appear in the book, but is mentioned multiple times. *Five of the new characters who will be involved are the young monk, Isaak, Hanne, Count Zerov, and Count Kirigin.Leigh Bardugo's Twitter, Count Zerov – May 27, 2018 ** Yuri, the "young monk," who is not a POV character, will be travelling with Nikolai and Zoya and will play an important role in the story. He was part of the Cult of the Starless Saint, that aims to have the Darkling officially recognized as a saint. Before the release of the book, The name of the monk was not revealed due to the fact that Leigh Bardugo may have changed it during the editing process. His ethnicity, nationality, and all other information were also withheld for unknown reasons. * The events of the book will occur about six months after the events of the Six of Crows duology. * The book will have a romantic subplotLeigh Bardugo's Twitter, romantic plot – May 28, 2018; Nikolai and Nina are confirmed to have love interests. * The audiobook of King of Scars will be narrated by Lauren Fortgang, the narrator of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, The Language of Thorns, as well as Inej's POV chapters in the ''Six of Crows'' duology.Leigh Bardugo's Tumblr, audiobook info – December 19, 2018 * The elements on the book's cover, most notably the bees and roses in the upper left corner, and the dragon in the upper right, have significant ties to the events of the story. Editorial Reviews * “Deadly clever political intrigue, heart-stopping adventure, memorable characters, and several understated, hinted-at romances (how will we wait?!) come together in one glorious, Slavic-folklore infused package. Bardugo’s star continues to rise.” —''Booklist'', starred review References Category:Books